check check >> president obama focussing on income and equality, calling it a threat to the american people. he says the growing gap between the rich and the poor is a defining challenge of our time. mexican authorities recover a truck filled with radioactive material. it was feared the cobalt could be used to make a dirty bomb. >> fast food workers from coast to coast walk off the job in a bid to unionize >> focus is on a school's big fraternity community after an

meningit. >> s outbreak. >> president obama in his campaign paused to focus on income disperty in america. in a speech president obama says he'll devote the rest of his term to addressing the widening gap between the rich and poor, calling it the defining challenge of our time. mike viqueira has more from the white house. >> the facts are beyond dispute and the president sought to highlight the growing gap between rich and pore, striking a populous thing. he was up to two themes, themes struck throughout the presidency, first and second term. he talked about the growing cap between rich and poor, and

trying to raise the minimum wage, backing a height or legislation of $10.10. many states are moving on their own. the president was trying to somehow up his political base after a roll out of healthcare.gov. democrats are disspirited and concerned heading into the elections. this was the latest in a series of events. the president spoke to the base and what he said was music to the ears. talking about income disperty, talking about the need for stronger unions and ending discrimination in the workplace, tying the affordable care act into all of it. here is more of what the president said. >> the idea that a child may never be able to escape the poverty because she lacks a decent education or health care or a community that views her future as their own - that should offend all of us and

compel us to action. we are a better country than this. let me repeat. the combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental effect to the american dream and what we stand for. >> there was bad news from harvard university. they have a public polling unit. the approval rating among his core constituencies, one that got him elected twice, that young people, millennials, 18-29 years old, 41%. that's down 11 points since april. most concerning in the immediate future for the affordable care act, the same poll asked young people would they enrol in the affordable care act. this young invincible group is key to have their involvement. 47% of the millennials,

18-29 years old said they will not enroll. 57% disapprove. greater than the national average among the entire population. >> the statistics about america's income gap are telling from 2009 to 2012. the income of the top 1% increased 31%. in the same period incomes for the rest of the nation's workers rose by less than one half of one%. >> mexican owe initials have recovered radio active waist. they said the gunmen that took the truck probably made a fatal area. >> it was taking cobalt used in cancer treatments to a waste site. the containers were open. anyone exposed could die within days. the material could have been used to make a dirty bomb. vice president joe biden is

wrapping up a visit to china with no solution over the squabble about a group of islands both nations a claiming. tensions rose when china expanded the air defense zones to include the islands. joe biden said the two powers have a stake in preserving intersection at security. >> we are trying to build a new kind of relationship between major powers. one that is different, one that is defined by constructive cooperation, healthy competition and a shared respect for agreed been rules of the road and international norms. >> biden stressed that a pact between the two powers is vital for the asian pacific. he's set to wrap up a visit to china on thursday. >> commuter trains will roll

again thursday, past a scene of the a fatal derailment. one of our journalists has this video. an investigation by the crash by the national transportation safety board is focussing on the train's engineer. it is dismissing comment from a union official who said the engineer was nodding off before the accident. >> recording 911 calls during the sandy hook shooting, al jazeera decided not to air the recordings. it revealed new information that we believe you should know. we heard seven recordings made after the first shots were fired inside sandy hook elementary school. at 9:35 a woman who sounded frightened reach the dispatcher saying she is was in the hallway and saw someone with a gun:

connecticut prosecutors objected to the release of the tapes, but were overruled by a judge. >> fast food might be not so fast on thursday. workers in 100 cities nationwide say they will walk off the job, demanding higher pay. [ chants ] >> the strike is the latest move in a campaign starting months ago. in fact, this was the scene at one protest in august. fast food workers want the wages raised to $15 per hour. the median in the industry is more than $9. about $18,500 a year. anti-government protesters in ukraine are getting support from three former presidents. in a statement they expressed sol darity. it included former president

victor uushanko. weeks of protests show no signs of letting up in kiev. there is a lot at stake. >> the crowds on the streets of key eve hope to change their country's future. ukraine, the name translated into english as on the boarder is that. divided between a pro-russian east and a europe een leading west. the sheer number of people coming out in the ukraine resulting in some of the largest pro-e.u. rallies, but also violence on europe. >> speaking in brussels during a nato summit. secretary of state john kerry called on the government to take heed. >> we urged the ukrainian government to lisp to the voices of its people that want to live in freedom and opportunity.

we urge all sides to conduct themselves piecefully. >> critics say president viktor yanukovych sparked the protests, rejecting a trade agreement with the e.u. it would have given brussels more say over the transport of natural gas from russia, through ukraine and europe. providing a quarter of the supplies. it was hoped that a criminal class like these smugglers to europe, that could be controlled. consent in ukraine crushed. including tymoshenko. who is in gaol for political reasons. it is hoped a transparent democracy could be built. >> if we presume that for the west democracy is a value, it should be a concern.

we raised expectations among the citizens of ukraine who are demanding their voices to be heard, in the 2004 orange revolution. pro-russian voices and infighting resulted in a broken state under the thumb of moscow. ukraine is deeply intwined, culturally, historically and economically. russia gets a lot of cash. about the the country is strat eegicily based, giving access to the mediterranean sea and influence on global security. >> many ukrainians like these urge support. the question is those aligned to russia or the kremlin will let ukraine go west. >> there is increasing pressure on the ukrainian president as to

the country's economy being in session. two dozen states are bundling up to ward off bitter temperatures. arctic air is chilling 32 million people. snow, ice and winds are making roads dangerous. major midwest cities are bracing for power outages. in montana wind chill readings hit minus 30. today it's going to be a mess for a lot of people across the nation in terms of snow, freezing rain, cold temperatures. let's start with the snow. you can see how it's been moving across parts of minnesota and wisconsin. and the great lacks. we expect to see up to 20 inches of snow in that location over the next 24 hours. if you are driving on the highways near the border be

careful. up here to the north-west. not a lot of snow left. cold air is coming into place, cooling down the places well below average. no snow you can see here on the forecast map for thursday. take a look at the temperatures for seattle. we'll see barely above freezing. high temperatures on saturday. overnight lows going into the teens for many there. you may want to make sure that you crack your faucets. across the south-west we have heart freeze warnings effect from the valley. agricultural areas will be watching that carefully. we could be seeing a lot of plants dying. no rain in terms of that. snow in the higher elevations. we will see los angeles going

down 50 degrees. that's the rain we'll see. texas with cold temperatures. rain to the south, snow to the north. dangerous situations. high for dallas. >> new fears of menning gitize erupting. >> accusations against the n.s.a. >> economic struggles forcing one community to wage actions for its children. the plan involving the creates of a new city. meningiti

meningit meningitis an outbreaks of meningitis at the university of california at santa basha is leaving some on the edge. brian rooney has more.

>> four students at this campus developed this rare form of meningitis in three weeks. one in four who catch it die. 20% suffer permanent damage. >> when the outbreak started, when we had three case, we recognised that three cases within two weeks was a dangerous situation. >> a student, a freshman la cross player had to have his feet amputated. >> once it causes blood poisoning, the body becomes toxic and hands and feet don't have a viable oxygen supply and are amputated. >> students are to avoid close contact, coughing too close, kitting. as a result the party scene has been touched down. what the four cases have in common is the students went to a

fraternity party or have room mates who did. >> it's so huge here, it bums people out that they can't go to the parties. >> my friends are bummed out. >> >> the u.s. has no treatment for the strain of meningitis that hit the university. princeton university was given permission to import a vaccine not approved in the u.s. uc santa basha is handing out vaccinations to hundreds of students. >> more cases may be identified. authorities are testing students with flu-like symptoms. similar to that of meningitis. >> the sickened students have recovered. they are back in classes. a third is recovering. 5 billion cell phones are

being monitored by the national security agency. that's according to a "the washington post" according to edward snowden. the spy agency says it does not collect data from phones in the u.s. >> the rescuers are holding out little hope for whales stranded in the ever glades. 4 dozen short-finned pilot whales swam into the shallows. six died. vets youthanized four more. a wealthy neighbourhood in louisiana wants to form its own city. we have more from baton rouge.

>> jeffrey lee doesn't miss a moment with his grandchildren at baton rouge. >> they are not in school, but he knows education will be the key to a better life. >> i want them to go to school and learn what they can. >> it's a challenge in a city where 60% of the students are not learning at grade level. >> it's one of the worst school systems. how many generations of children do you disserve before you try sag different. >> lionel rainy is part of a group pushing for a different plan. the city of st george would encompass an area home to a quarter of the residents. if would control and run its own schools with tax revenue. >> this is not about starting a new city, it's education.

>> it's totally about education. we want to take accountability of the schools. >> st george would take more than accountability. a report commissioned warns that the break-up could cost the city $53 million. 20% of its budget. it would further segregate the city. baton rouge is majority black. st george is the mainlyingority white. >> we we have white kids going to school on this end of the parish and at the other end and in the middle just of the black kids. >> members in baton rouge make an average of $58,000, in the st george area they make $90,000. >> i think we need to look at does that take us backwards where we are segregating ourselves.

it's not a win. >> it's not a trend. the white and black middle class have pled baton rouge to look for better schools for decades. >> this is nothing to do with skin colour. if you have the means to leave baton rouge and the school system, you have left. >> for those that may not be able to leave, it means more division. >> it will all change, i guess. one side will be better than the other side. i guess the lower class, i guess you say. unless you move to a different state, a better class. >> the breakaway effort continues to maintain momentum and could be decided on by voters. >> baton rouge is not the only city making attempts at succession. it's been tried in new york city, los angeles, gary,

indiana. >> rob ford may have a job, calling in on a show called sports junkies. he was stripped of powers after admitting that he bought and used crack. >> drowning in debt. the growing problem facing college grads. christmas cheer shifts into high gear as the power goes on for the rockefeller christmas tree.

the average college grad is $30,000 in debt. and the figures are growing. the stats don't tell the entire drawing. juan carlos molina spoke to young americans who know what it means to be buried by bills. >> 400,000 in debt. i don't know how i will pay it off, really. >> philicia combest is a dentist and it took a fortune to get

there. knowing how much she owes is taking a toll. >> it's overwhelming. i thought about going into the military to take care of some of my loans for the repayment part. >> there is the debt and also dealing with getting a job. >> on the streets of new york city is didn't take long to find college students or graduates that fall into this category. >> this is a senior in college and owes $20,000 in loans. >> it's stressful when you think about growing up and buying a house and starting a family. you have to factor in the extra bill you will have. >> she's working to pay off her loans while taking classes. >> it becomes a point where you don't have time to do what you want to do for school because you are having a job to save up and pay the loan or you are

already paying the loan. it's stressful. >> some get help from their parents, but the pressure to pay up is constant. >> you tackle them, you don't rack up as much interest. you are still paying a significant amount of money. >> dispute the sobering statistics, the report points out that having a college degree is the best way to find a job especially in this job market. six of the 10 states with the highest debt were in the mid-atlantic. students qualifying from delaware had the highest debt at $33,649. >> a record price for an american master piece. this norman rockwell painting titled, "saving grace" brought

three times higher than a rockwell in the past. two others sold for $12 million. >> the legendary work of charlie chaplin are feared lost. >> one of the greats of cinema, a pioneering entertainer. he rose to fame during the era of silent films. a direct, composer and actor, he is seen in his signature role, the endearing and enduring character. early motion pictures were called silent because cinema dialogue was not possible. the sound, full musical scores was added during editing.

silent made work for sina matology. modern day film as we know it, or talkies, were born and silent field disappeared. the golden age of silent films lasted from 1912 to 1959. during that period 11,000 movies were made. most can be seen today. a quarter have survived. a lot in less quality. another 5% are incomplete. 70% are deemed lost because so few frames exist. one of the most notable, "cleopatra", the minutes of footage preserved are prized as a sin mattic classic.

the latest study released by the u.s. library of congress blames decay and neglect for the loss. the first generation of film stock was made of nitrate, which is flammable and decome poses. movie studios had a role in destroying them. >> from back and white to lots of colour. 45,000 colourful led lights are shining brightly on the rockefeller christmas tree. the 76 norway spruce was donated by a connecticut family. it's topped with an swarski star. the tree lights will stay on. that will do it for this edition of al jazeera. the stream is coming up next.

log on to aljazeera.com for the latest headlines. thanks for watching. >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you're in the treatment. fran pope francis is getting wave reviewed but is he a game changer? we break down the pop fourteen francis -- pope francis effect. >> our digital producer wajahat ali is here. keep it coming. waj, catholic or not pope francis is all the buzz now. >> i'm n c